Glitter Tattoos - So Easy!!

You may have seen glitter tattoos advertised on TV, but did you know that Art Glitter now has Body Glue and Tattoo stencils?  Now you can use all the wonderful colors of Art Glitter Ultra Fine glitter to create your own glittering body art!!  Here is a quick tutorial on creating a glittering tattoo.  It's so easy, I did it on my own hand!!

You will need:  Art Glitter Body Glue, Tattoo Stencil, Ultra-fine Glitter (I used #299 - Celery, #48 -  Emerald, #324 - Country Red, and #355 - Sunrise)  A couple of paint brushes, and a soft make-up brush.

Remove the white backing from the stencil and place it on clean, dry skin.  Remove the clear protective coating and make sure that the black stencil is firmly in place with no gaps or buckles.

Drop a few drops of Body Glue inside the stencil and spread with paint brush.  You just need a thin coat.  The thicker you put it on, the longer it will take to dry.

While the paint is still wet, remove the stencil.  Wait for the glue to dry before you start to glitter.  The glue is dry when it turns clear.

Dip a small clean, dry paint brush into Emerald Green and brush lightly onto the broad end of the leaves.  Clean the brush by rubbing on a towel or cloth. - Don't wet it.  Dip the brush into your second color - the celery green - and brush the tips of the leaves.

Repeat this process for the rose, using the Country Red for the inside of the rose petals, and Sunrise to highlight the outer petals.

Use a make-up brush to brush the excess glitter away.

The tattoo will last 7 - 10 days with proper care.  Visit the Art Glitter site for more information about care and removal of the tattoos!

Happy Glittering!!!

KC

Connie Crystal Sun Catcher

I love the way Connie Crystals catch the light.  I have created a dazzling sun catcher to hang in one of my favorite places.  I used:

Silver tone metal rings - 1- 3" and 1- 4" - found near the macrame and kid craft area of Hobby Lobby
20 gauge metal wire
4 - Connie Crystal Octagon Crystal Beads - 1 each: Aqua, Purple, Grey and Crystal AB
3 - Connie Crystal Clear Square Crystals
2 - Connie Crystal 8mm Round Clear Beads
1 - 40mm Sunburst Crystal - from Connie Crystal

I began by laying the rings and crystals out to figure out spacing and then took a sharpie marker to mark approximately where the holes from each bead were on the inner ring.

I cut off about 2 feet of wire and strung a square crystal to the center of it.  I gave the wire a couple twists right above the crystal.  This is the center crystal, so I placed it at the center marking and began wrapping the wire around the metal ring to the right and left until I got to the next sharpie marks.

I worked up the right side first, adding a crystal bead at each sharpie mark.  Then I came back and did the beads to the left the same way.

 

I created a hanger by making a larger loop for hanging and then a smaller loop at the bottom that will eventually hold the large focal crystal.  I then wrapped this wire piece around the two metal rings to connect them and hold them in place.  

To further secure the two rings together, I added an 8mm round bead to each of the lose ends of wire and then wrapped the wire around the outer ring several times before trimming the excess off.  The final step was to create a wire loop for the large sunburst.  I then used a small jump ring to hang the crystal from the wire at the top.  

Please visit the Connie Crystal Blog to see more tips, tricks and inspiring projects using Connie Crystals.  

Etching with stamps on Dichroic Glass

I love etching designs in dichroic glass. There are a number of methods doing this, but my favorite has always been to draw my designs on with a black sharpie, and then use Armor Etch to etch the glass. The sharpie works as a resist and the dichroic coating is removed everywhere that is not covered by the marker. Not long ago, I found another fun way to do the etching using rubber stamps and Stazon Metallic ink. I use the copper, because it seams a little thicker and tackier then the silver and gold.

You will need - a piece of dichroic glass (I like to work on clear dichoric so that I can watch the etching process from the back.), a rubber stamp, copper Stazon ink (and pad), Armor Etch etching cream, broad paint brush, rubber gloves, rubbing alcohol.

Wipe the glass down with rubbing alcohol to be sure it is free from residue. Press the rubber stamp into the ink pad and be sure the stamp is evenly coated with ink. Then carefully stamp the design onto the dichroic glass. Stamping on glass can be a little tricky, as the stamp wants to slide around if you do not come straight down and straight back up. But the nice thing is that if you don't get it right the first time, you can wipe it off with a little rubbing alcohol and try again.

Once you are happy with your stamp(s), let the stamps dry for 5 to 10 minutes.

Now for the fun part.......Put on your rubber gloves to protect your fingers from the etching cream. Holding the glass piece from the edges, brush a thick coat of the etching cream over the entire surface of the glass. Different dichroic colors etch at different speeds so it takes a little practice to get the timing right, but if you are working with clear glass it makes it a lot easier to judge when it is ready to rinse. Periodically hold the glass so that you can see the back side. You will see your design emerge and the etched area will become white. Tip the glass to different angles so that you can be sure that all the areas you want etched have turned white. If there is an iridescent sheen, it is not done yet. Once you feel it is ready, run the piece under clear water and remove all of the etching cream. The copper ink will probably come off at this point too, but if not use a little rubbing alcohol to remove it. Your dichroic design will be revealed.

You now have a lovely etched design to finish into a project. The pendant above was finished by fusing the dichroic glass to a piece of black base glass. For those without access to a kiln, I am working on a non-fired version of this....stay tuned.